DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 6 and 7 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected method embodiments, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on July 16, 2026.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed on June 18, 2024.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Honda (US 2022/0169002 A1).
Claim 1, Honda discloses a wafer-scale layered two-dimensional material transfer method (a method for producing a laminate of a two-dimensional material is a wafer-scale layered two-dimensional material transfer method, hereinafter, wafer-scale layered two-dimensional material transfer method, [0046], Figs. 1-5), comprising steps of:
providing a growth substrate (first substrate 21 is a growth substrate, hereinafter, growth substrate 21, [0057], Fig. 1) with a layered two-dimensional material (two-dimensional material 30 is a layered two-dimensional material, hereinafter, layered two-dimensional material 30, [0058], Fig. 1) thereon (growth substrate 21 is provided with a layered two-dimensional material 30 thereon, [0057], Fig. 1);
coating an adhesive layer (adhesive layer 12, [0065], Fig. 2) on the layered two-dimensional material 30 (adhesive layer 12 is coated on the layered two-dimensional material 30, [0065], Fig. 2);
cold pressing a support layer (base material 11 is a support layer, hereinafter, support layer 11, [0065], Fig. 2) to the adhesive layer 12 (support layer 11 is cold pressed to the adhesive layer 12, [0067], Fig. 2);
removing the growth substrate 21 (growth substrate 21 is removed, [0068], Fig. 3) and transferring to a target substrate (layered two-dimensional material 30, adhesive layer 12, and support layer 11 are transferred from the growth substrate 21 to the second substrate 40 which is a target substrate, hereinafter, target substrate 40, [0070], Fig. 4);
removing the support layer 11 (support layer 11 is removed from layered two-dimensional material 30 and target substrate 40, [0072], Fig. 5); and
removing the adhesive layer 12 (adhesive layer 12 is removed from layered two-dimensional material 30 and target substrate 40, [0072], Fig. 5) to obtain a stack comprising the layered two-dimensional material 30 and the target substrate 40 (a stack comprising the layered two-dimensional material 30 and the target substrate 40 is obtained after removing the adhesive layer 12, [0072], Fig. 5), wherein the layered two-dimensional material 30 is attached on the target substrate 40 (layered two-dimensional material 30 is attached on the target substrate 40, [0072], Fig. 5).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 2-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Honda in view of Hoffman (US 2017/0102358 A1).
Claim 2, Honda discloses the wafer-scale layered two-dimensional material transfer method (wafer-scale layered two-dimensional material transfer method, [0046], Figs. 1-5)
as claimed in claim 1.
Honda does not explicitly disclose wherein the cold pressing is under vacuum.
However, Hoffman discloses wherein the cold pressing is under vacuum (Hoffman, bonding the tape to the adhesive layer is done under vacuum, [0395] and [0397], Fig. 21F; Honda, support layer 11 is cold pressed to the adhesive layer 12, [0067], Fig. 2). The combination to utilize cold pressing of adhesive layers while under vacuum ensures an improved 2D material adhesion (Hoffman, [0399]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to utilize cold pressing of adhesive layers while under vacuum would ensure an improved 2D material adhesion (Hoffman, [0399]).
Claim 3, Honda/Hoffman discloses the wafer-scale layered two-dimensional material transfer method (Honda, wafer-scale layered two-dimensional material transfer method, [0046], Figs. 1-5; Hoffman, method of transferring a wafer-scale layered two-dimensional material, [0395], Figs. 21A-21G) as claimed in claim 2.
Honda/Hoffman discloses wherein the support layer is selected from a group comprising of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (PC), polypropylene carbonate (PPC), polyimide, thermal release tape, polylactic acid (PLA), pressure-sensitive release tape, water-soluble tape, UV release tape, photoresist, polyethylene, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), Ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer(EVA), wax, and poly(para-xylene) (Honda, support layer 11 is selected from a group comprising of polyolefins (i.e. polyethylene), polyesters (i.e. polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or polylactic acid (PLA), [0085], Fig. 2; Hoffman, adhesive material may be an acylate (i.e. polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)), [0396], Fig. 21A).
Claim 4, Honda discloses the wafer-scale layered two-dimensional material transfer method (wafer-scale layered two-dimensional material transfer method, [0046], Figs. 1-5)
as claimed in claim 3.
Honda discloses wherein the support layer is a thermal release tape, and the hot pressing is performed to desorb and remove the thermal release tape (Honda, support layer 11 may function as a thermal release tape in combination with the underlying adhesive layer 12, wherein the adhesive sheet 10 includes both support layer 11 and adhesive layer 12, and the hot pressing is performed to desorb and remove the thermal release tape, [0073], Fig. 5; Hoffman, support layer (i.e. tape) is a thermal release tape, and the hot pressing is performed to desorb and remove the thermal release tape, [0397], Fig. 21E).
Claim 5, Honda discloses the wafer-scale layered two-dimensional material transfer method (wafer-scale layered two-dimensional material transfer method, [0046], Figs. 1-5)
as claimed in claim 4.
Honda discloses wherein the hot pressing is performed under vacuum (Hoffman, hot pressing is performed under vacuum, [0397], Fig. 21E; Honda, adhesive sheet 10 includes both support layer 11 and adhesive layer 12, [0073], Fig. 5).
Claim 8, Honda discloses the wafer-scale layered two-dimensional material transfer method (wafer-scale layered two-dimensional material transfer method, [0046], Figs. 1-5)
as claimed in claim 1.
Honda discloses wherein the adhesive layer is selected from a group comprising of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), rosin, camphor, paraffin wax, polystyrene, menthol, methyl methacrylate, polypropylene carbonate, benzocyclobutene, and doped rosin (Hoffman, adhesive layer is selected from a group comprising of an acrylate, [0395], Fig. 21A; Honda, adhesive layer 12 is selected from a resin, [0065], Fig. 2).
Claim 9, Honda discloses a layered two-dimensional material optoelectronic device, comprising the stack of layered two-dimensional material/target substrate fabricated by the transfer method (wafer-scale layered two-dimensional material transfer method, [0046], Figs. 1-5) as claimed in claim 1.
Honda discloses wherein the layered two-dimensional material serves as the photoactive material for the photodetection element, or as the contact electrode for electronic conduction, or as a hybrid heterostructure of the above (Hoffman, wherein the layered two-dimensional material serves as the photoactive material for the photodetection element, or as the contact electrode for electronic conduction, or as a hybrid heterostructure of the above, [0296], Fig. 2A; Honda, can be applied to a transparent conductive film for use in a touch panel or the like, a semiconductor device or an electronic device such as a transistor or an integrated circuit, a transparent electrode or an electrochemical electrode requiring a large area, [0115], Fig. 5).
Claim 10, Honda discloses a semiconductor device of layered two-dimensional material, comprising the stack of layered two-dimensional material/target substrate fabricated by the transfer method (wafer-scale layered two-dimensional material transfer method, [0046], Figs. 1-5) as claimed in claim 1.
Honda discloses wherein the layered two-dimensional material serves as the active material for memory, transistors, high-frequency devices, or as the contact electrode for electronic conduction, or as a hybrid heterostructure of the above (Hoffman, wherein the layered two-dimensional material serves as the active material for chemically-sensitive FET biosensor 1, [0296], Fig. 2A; Honda, can be applied to a transparent conductive film for use in a touch panel or the like, a semiconductor device or an electronic device such as a transistor or an integrated circuit, a transparent electrode or an electrochemical electrode requiring a large area, [0115], Fig. 5).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Hoffman (US 2017/0053908 A1) discloses a wafer-scale layered two-dimensional material transfer method (Figs. 21A-21G), comprising steps of: providing a growth substrate glass with a layered two-dimensional material graphene thereon; coating an adhesive layer Adh on the layered two-dimensional material graphene; cold pressing a support layer LTHC to the adhesive layer Adh; removing the growth substrate glass and transferring to a target substrate Si (CMOS); removing the support layer LTHC; and removing the adhesive layer Adh to obtain a stack comprising the layered two-dimensional material graphene and the target substrate Si (CMOS), wherein the layered two-dimensional material graphene is attached on the target substrate Si (CMOS).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHEVY J BOEGEL whose telephone number is (703)756-1299. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
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/CHEVY J BOEGEL/Examiner, Art Unit 2812
/William B Partridge/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2812
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